Even when you know it’s all a cycle, when you’re in a slump it’s not easy to remember that. It can be work to get yourself out of a rut. You’ve gone down that road so often that it’s worn down in the shape of your shoes. But familiar and comfortable doesn’t mean it’s healthy or fun. It just means you’re so used to doing it that it requires very little thought. It’s no longer exciting or even interesting. You feel bored with it and, frankly, tired of everything else in your life as well. That’s it, you feel tired. Everything seems like such an effort. The worst thing about being in a rut is that it’s no fun. You’re simply in that head space where you have no focus, no enthusiasm for a goal that compels you forward. It happens to me, too.
I always have a lot of projects going on. Being an Aries times 5, I begin a lot of stuff, so there are always unfinished assignments lying around. I can let myself feel overwhelmed by the piles of paperwork until I remind myself that I’m the boss, that these are my ideas and my self-assigned tasks that I can drop anytime I wish. And drop them I do whenever something new catches my interest. But there are times that interest in all of my projects dims and I fall into a rut. I’ve learned to take steps so I don’t start chain smoking Camels and knocking back Jack at dawn.
For me, I have to keep my body in motion
I’ve learned that if I can keep my body in motion while my mind wants to steer me into a melancholy mood, at least I don’t have a pile of chores left undone at the end of it all. Plus working out will flood my brain with endorphins to elevate my mood, and going to the gym will get me around other people. Having a shared purpose, even if it’s just working out under the same roof with people I am not interacting with, can be very motivating and restorative.
What I do to get out of a rut
For me, I know feeling like this is a signal to make some changes and do something new, find a new interest to delight me. That means I set a daily goal to research topics and look to be led to new things I might like. I consider this a daily project and take the research seriously. It’s also an incubation period, as I’m collecting information. For me, being around new people is the most motivating. It leads my thoughts in a new direction. What is happening is that I’m dropping resistance and allowing my guidance to speak to me through the voices around me. Back at home, I’ll reflect on what was said, and that will draw forth further guidance from within me. I find it hastens the process when I ask for specific things, such as, “Please guide me to new interests. Please lead me to people, circumstances and events that fill me with enthusiasm and new life.”
No matter how bleak our inner landscape may seem, we have the choice to remain functional and be productive, to do our own research and find our own way to more joy.
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